Needle exchanges are still controversial in some parts of the country, so expect "supervised injection facilities" to be even more so.
Mattie Quinn reports on efforts to bring supervised injection facilities to the United States.
"At these facilities, medical professionals provide addicts with sterile injection equipment so they can safely use illegal drugs they obtained from outside," explains Quinn. "They can also wait out the high and get information about and referrals to treatment."
Vancouver, in Canada, is home to the only such facility in North America, but officials in Seattle and King County recently approved a proposal for the first such facility in the United States. San Francisco is also exploring the possibility of opening a supervised injection facility.
The Vancouver facility "has been credited with preventing nearly 5,000 overdoses since it opened in 2003," but in the United States, risk reduction facilities like needle exchanges are already controversial. Supervised injection would certainly be a tough sell for some politicians.
FULL STORY: Coming Soon to America: Places for Addicts to Safely Shoot Up
The Messy Politics of Saving Lives from Drug Overdoses
Philadelphia was on the verge of approving a key harm reduction strategy to prevent fatal drug overdoses until the city council all but banned supervised injection sites, overriding a mayoral veto. A New York Times report explores the controversy.
Philadelphia Could Be the First U.S. City to Open a Sanctioned Safe Injection Site
Facing the highest rate of deaths of any major city in the U.S. opioid epidemic, the city of Philadelphia is preparing to take drastic measures.
Federal Government Intervenes to Halt Planned Supervised Injection Site in Philadelphia
Pennsylvania-based prosecutors and the Department of Justice in Washington are mounting a legal challenge to a proposed supervised injection site in the works in Philadelphia.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie